Indian History

Tai Khampti diorama / Image Credit Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein has urged the Centre to declare Tai Khamti-British War of 1839 as the first war of India’s independence against the British.  80 British soldiers, including the British agent Colonel Adam White, were killed by the Tai Khamtis in Tai Khamti-British War that took place in 1839.  Recently the Centre has refused to accept Odisha’s demand to declare Paika rebellion as the First War of Independence. Paika Rebellion took place from 1817 to 1825 in Odisha. Currently, the Revolt of 1857, known variously as First War of Independence and Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 is called the first war of independence against British Rule. The Revolt of 1857 shook the very foundation of the British Empire in India. About Tai Khamti-British War of 1839 The Arunachal Deputy CM Chowna Mein also underscored the need to recognize battles between other communities of Arunachal Pradesh and the British. They include four Anglo-Abor wars f

                                             Khairul Manazil, opposite Purana Qila, Delhi. Image credit   Located opposite the Purana Qila in Delhi, Khairul Manzil mosque was built in 1561 by Maham Anga, the foster mother of the Mughal emperor Akabr. She was the mother of powerful Mughal noble Adham Khan who was killed by Akbar in Agra in 1562. Meaning ‘the most auspicious of houses’ in Persian, Khair-ul-Manazil mosque on the Mathura road is Delhi’s first mosque built by the Mughals.  The arch in the middle of the prayer chamber contains the inscription that says that the mosque was built by Maham Anga.

Fifth Siddha Day was celebrated by Union Ministry of Ayush on 23rd December.  Siddha system of medicine is one of the oldest codified traditions of healthcare originated in the Indian sub-continent with many intricate, novel therapeutic interventions and treatment modalities.  Siddha system of medicine is one of the oldest codified traditions of healthcare originated in the Indian sub-continent. The Siddha system is still being practised in the southern parts of India. Ayush Ministry observes Siddha Day on eve of Siddhar Agathiya’s  birthday every year. Siddhar Agathiya is the father of Siddha Medicine.  The day is observed in the Tamil month of Margazhi. 

Union Minister of State for Education, Dr. Subhas Sarkar has released the Hindi translation of Tolkāppiyam , a unique work on grammar and poetics.  A part of the corpus of Sangam literature, Tolkappiyam is the most ancient extant Tamil grammar text and the oldest extant long work of Tamil literature. Tolkappiyam was written by Tolkappiyar during the Sangam period. According to some Tamil tradition places Tolkappiyam in the mythical second Sangam (great literary assembly), variously in 1st millennium BCE or earlier. Tamil writing systems dates back to 250 BCE and Tamil Sangam poetry contains 2381 poems in Tamil composed by 473 poets, some 102 anonymous. Most scholars suggest the historical Sangam literature era spanned from c. 300 BCE to 600 CE to be among the finest of world literature. Though it is reasonable to believe that the ancient Tamil itself had a long poetic tradition and a large body of literature, only a grammatical treatise in verse called Tolkāppiyam, the eight anthologie

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has added Kolkata's Durga Puja to its 'Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.'  The decision was taken during the sixteenth session of the of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, chaired by Punchi Nilame Meegaswatte, Secretary General of the Sri Lanka National Commission for UNESCO. Durga Puja is an annual festival marks the ten-day worship of the Hindu mother-goddess Durga. In West Bengal Bengal the festival is celebrated in honour of Goddess Durga’s killing of demon Mahishasur and is called the Durga Puja. Huge pandals are set-up housing the idols of Goddess Durga and her four children - Lakshmi , Saraswati , Ganesha and Kartikeya .  India now has 14 i ntangible cultural heritage elements on the UNESCO list. Other Indian entries that were previously inscribed include Ramlila (2008), Yoga (2016) and Kumbh Mela (2017). I

The Centre has recently refused to accept Paika rebellion as the first war of independence. In 2017, the Odisha Government demanded that the Odisha rebellion be declared as the first war of independence. Currently, the Revolt of 1857, known variously as First War of Independence and Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 is called the first war of independence against British Rule. The Revolt of 1857 shook the very foundation of the British Empire in India. Paika Rebellion took place from 1817 to 1825 in Odisha. .  What is the Paika Rebellion? The Paikas were a warrior class who were given rent-free lands by the Gajapat kings in Odisha in lieu of the military services they would render to the Kingdom of Khurda. .In 1804, the King of Khurda, Raja Mukunda Deva, who was dethroned by the British in the previous year, organized a rebellion against the British with the help of his Paiks. However, the rebellion ended in a fiasco and the British confiscated his entire territory. As the new land revenue settle

The UNESCO has conferred two awards for conservation efforts at Nizamuddin Basti in Delhi.  The Nizamuddin Basti has received two awards at the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation this year. The conservation initiative at Nizamuddin area has bagged the prestigious Award of Excellence and another award in the Special Recognition for Sustainable Development category.  Conservation efforts at Nizamuddin Basti are being undertaken by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in partnership with the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, Archaeological Survey of India, Delhi Urban Heritage Foundation and the Dargah Committee and resident community groups of Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti since 2007. Nizamuddin Basti Project encompasses restoration of over 20 historic monuments clustered around the 14th century mausoleum of the revered Sufi saint, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, the most prominent Sufi saint of the Chisti order. • The Nizamuddin area consists of Humayun Tomb and the 16th ce